672. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if she will consider introducing multi annual funding arrangements for capital projects undertaken by disability service providers and disability organisations, in order to provide greater funding certainty and enable more effective planning and delivery of essential disability infrastructure. [68510/26]
65. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Social Protection whether, given the Government's stated ambition to support entrepreneurship and small business growth, he believes that the Jobseeker's Benefit (Self-Employed) scheme and the Back to Work Enterprise Allowance remain fit for purpose in the modern economy; and whether a review of both schemes will be undertaken. [66710/26]
96. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Social Protection the measures are being taken to ensure that social welfare recipients can transition into further education, apprenticeships and training programmes without suffering a loss of income that would discourage participation. [66712/26]
8. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment the progress made on adjusting the mandate of Enterprise Ireland to better support small indigenous exporters; and the specific changes being considered. [66665/26]
51. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment the progress made on the Programme for Government commitment to undertake a look-back exercise to identify regulations that are now redundant and creating unnecessary administrative burdens for businesses; whether all Government departments and regulatory agencies have been requested to submit regulations for review; and when the first …
105. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment if he has considered the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission's recommendation to establish an independent economic regulator for the household waste collection sector & whether his Department has undertaken any assessment of this proposal. [66955/26]
106. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment whether he has examined the merits of moving from the current side-by-side household waste collection model to a competitive tendering model whereby operators compete for service areas rather than individual households; and whether international models have been assessed. [66957/26]
107. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment the engagement his Department has had with the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission since 2018 regarding proposed regulatory reforms to the household waste collection sector. [66958/26]
273. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Education and Youth the estimated number of teachers currently participating in job-sharing arrangements at primary and post-primary level; and the number who availed of substitute teaching opportunities on their non-teaching days in each of the past three school years. [66596/26]
274. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Education and Youth whether her Department has considered permitting job-sharing teachers to undertake substitute teaching within their own school on non-teaching days, particularly where this would provide continuity for pupils and assist schools experiencing teacher shortage. [66595/26]
275. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Education and Youth whether job-sharing teachers were permitted to undertake substitute teaching on their non-teaching days under arrangements that applied in previous school years; if so, the years during which such arrangements applied; and the reasons these arrangements may not been continued for the 2026/2027 school year. [66594/26]
276. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Education and Youth the current position regarding job-sharing primary and post-primary teachers undertaking substitute teaching on their non-teaching days during the 2026/2027 school year. [66593/26]
279. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Education and Youth for an update on the proposed redevelopment of (details supplied); the current status of the project; the next steps required to advance the development; the anticipated timeline for progression to the next stage. [66679/26]
282. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Education and Youth whether she is satisfied that the current teacher education framework adequately supports individuals with substantial experience in special education, including special needs assistants and early childhood education professionals, who wish to qualify as teachers in special schools and special classes; and whether consideration is being given to a de…
283. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Education and Youth whether consideration is being given to the development of an alternative, rigorous initial teacher education programme focused on special education, which would enable suitably qualified and experienced professionals to qualify directly for work in special schools and special classes. [66763/26]
284. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Education and Youth whether her Department has examined international models of initial teacher education specifically designed for special education teaching; and whether any such models are being considered in Ireland. [66761/26]
285. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Education and Youth whether the current approach of requiring teachers to first qualify as mainstream primary or post-primary teachers before undertaking specialist SEN training has been evaluated in the context of teacher supply challenges in special schools and special classes. [66760/26]
286. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Education and Youth whether her Department has undertaken a review of the pathways available to experienced special needs assistants and other education professionals seeking to qualify as teachers in special education settings. [66759/26]
287. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Education and Youth whether her Department has considered the introduction of a dedicated initial teacher education pathway for individuals seeking to become special education teachers. [66758/26]
13. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment the actions he has taken following his concerns regarding the level of underspending by the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland in 2025, the changes to governance, structures and delivery arrangements that he has sought; and the measures being put in place to ensure that allocated funding is translated into increased delivery of ho…
29. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment the measures being taken to reduce waiting times under the warmer homes scheme; the target waiting time for applicants by the end of 2026 and 2027; and whether additional delivery capacity will be put in place to ensure increased funding results in a corresponding increase in completed home energy upgrades. [65127/26]
97. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if she will consider introducing multi annual funding arrangements for capital projects undertaken by disability service providers and disability organisations, in order to provide greater funding certainty and enable more effective planning and delivery of essential disability infrastructure. [65122/26]
183. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Transport the current status of the Luas Lucan project; whether the emerging preferred route has now been identified as anticipated in 2026; when the non-statutory public consultation is expected to commence; and whether the target delivery timeframe of 2031-2036 remains achievable. [64217/26]
188. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Transport whether he and his Department are planning a new grant or incentive scheme following the closure of the ICE to EV Grant in July 2026 which supported motorists in replacing older diesel engine cars with electric vehicles. [64202/26]
189. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Transport whether the National Transport Authority has a workforce and skills plan to address identified capability gaps; the recruitment targets and timelines contained in the plan; and the extent to which it is intended to build and retain these skills directly within the Authority rather than through consultants, agency or outsourced personnel. [64271/26]